[SWP] between the waves

By some stroke of luck, the few morsels of foliage sprouting the sandy foot of the cliffs enabled one to breath under water! Valkyrie had nibbled the finer looking leaves – the bluer foliage, fresher – growing nearest to the centre, perhaps enough too of the younger plants to extend the length of her ability; not that any of it mattered, for she was unfortunately unaware, gasping and spluttering as each salty wave crashed down rudely upon her. She swam with honourable conviction, though hopelessly slow compared to the revolting mismatched-giant, his trailing wraith, and the equid-stranger ahead. As they grew smaller and smaller in the distance, bobbing images devoured by the rolling, tempestuous sea, her struggle became more frantic and the realisation of this ridiculous endeavour blared urgently in her mind. What the hell was she thinking? There was no explaining the feeling within her, the drive and determination forcing her forward. It was a nagging want to know and contribute, a stubborn, stupid curiosity and the inexperienced Daughter had ventured too far to turn back – at this point, she was growing so tired that she would drown here, or there. It hardly mattered. The largest of the pair she pursued, was easier to track. A disgusting slick of what she imagined to be black, bubbly oil, skimmed the foamy surface in his wake. While the waves worked to cleanse her skin of filthy build-up and sweat, his discharge moved to cloak her in contrast – she tried to skirt it, but flailing hooves and scrawny legs did not serve well as a rudder in this element. It was incredibly frustrating… The sun above had long past noon (this senseless adventure had begun the same morning), and it had been a solid time since she had seen the monster and his posse above the waves. Despair was beginning to burn away the persistent hope in Valkyrie’s mind, and her furry, determined to sink frame – the thrashing limbs, straining throat and heaving forequarters – were stinging with unbearable fatigue. In addition, her mouth was dry, the taste of saline souring soggy flesh and her wobbling ears were waterlogged so that any sound beyond the frantic thunder of her pulse was non-existent. It seemed by all accounts, that her foolishness on this occasion would indeed see her end. Without the energy to stay afloat any longer – eyes burned, lungs choked, and her mind was a haze of shifting, ‘pre-death’ emotion – the lost daughter, began at last to sink. Rapidly… As she did, however, it shocked her to the core to realise that the brackish ocean was not filling her lungs! Down, down, down, she descended, and before her eyes materialised a quite unbelievable city of grimy coral through the murk. At first, she rather struggled to overcome the illogical manner of underwater breathing, but after a small while, the rhythm became easy. It was, really, just the same as breathing real air. Still, there was no comfort to be found there where the water rocked around her more gently, the feeling, the pressure, it was entirely unnatural. A grand set of gates, unmistakably, stood a small distance ahead of her position, and she figured it likely, that the duo had travelled on to whatever lay behind them. With awkward, jerking thrusts, she swam slowly against the current towards them and the gloomy formations above the sand, beyond. Passing through the gates, Valkyrie scanned her surroundings and a chill crawled down the length of her spine. This world - the Rift – seemed more and more dreamlike at every turn. The oily substance she had been following along the way, lingered in the depths, staining the grey bed of sand like a surreal path to guide the way. There was movement ahead (more defined than the queer shift of shadows in the doorways), and it quickly caught her wandering eye. The mammoth, his hulking, hideous form visible from a distance, was floating up above. Though there was a sensible reluctance to continue (where was the other? Was this the monster’s lair?), she had come too far to ignore the still present urge within. The Daughter of the Shieldmaidens gathered behind her instilled courage and kicked off the floor in upwards motion, towards him. Without warning, a soft glow spread around her, leaking into the varied contours of the underwater city. Valkyrie paused then, taken aback, drinking in the architecture now visible with expanding fascination. (tl;dr - she has arrived /late to the city, and has come across Kisamoa (still has no idea he’s a god), as he swims above the plaza. The light from his orb has distracted her journey towards him.)